Friday, May 3

George Karl: Still Fighting

There is, of course, a lot of sadness if you’re a fan of
George Karl today. His team, the Denver Nuggets, were given every opportunity
they could possibly hope for by their opponents, the Golden State Warriors,
last night in Oakland and yet were unable to overcome a massive second-half
deficit.

And with that, the Nuggets were out of the playoffs in the
first round, something Karl’s teams have become all-too-familiar with in the
past three decades.

In fact, Karl devotees might be surprised (not all that
surprised, but surprised) to know that no man in NBA history has failed as
often as George Karl in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Quickly, a list of
coaches who have accumulated the most first-round losses in league history:

FIRST ROUND LOSSES, BY COACH, NBA HISTORY

George Karl, 14

Jack Ramsay, 12

Jerry Sloan, 9

Lenny Wilkens, 9

Larry Brown, 9

Rick Adelman, 8

It is, in some ways, a list of great coaches. All of them
either are now or will be at some point, Hall of Fame coaches, and I include
George Karl on that list.

The smart observer will note that total 1 & Dones doesn’t
take into account the overall seasons; after all, Ray Allen missed more shots
in his career than Steve Scheffler, does that make Scheff a better shooter?

Here, then, is a graph of the top playoff
coaches in league history, with the percentage of their playoff runs which
ended in 1 & Dones:

It certainly helps Karl’s cause, and the fact that were the
Celtics to lose in the first round this season Doc Rivers’ career totals would
almost be identical to Karl’s illustrates how tenuous an NBA coach’s playoff
career results can be.

But let’s put all of that aside. I come here today not to
bury Karl, but to praise him. Denver fans this morning are no doubt morose –
their team has failed, once again, in the first round, marking the 8th
time in 9 years they have done so under Karl. The parallels to Seattle’s
experience with Karl are astounding – an exceptional regular season squad full
of exciting players is booted too early for the home fans, prompting the
tittering of dismissal talk throughout the region.

Certainly, there is more than just coincidence to Karl’s
failures in the first round. For him to have flopped out so miserably in 11 of
his past 13 playoff runs speaks to more than just idle chance, and I am sure
that someone more talented than I will be able to figure out just what it is
about Karl’s game-planning that leads to his repeated failures in the
post-season.

But lest we forget, George Karl is a human being, and a good
one at that. Not many coaches would take on the league by sporting a Seattle
tie (see accompanying photo) while coaching a visiting team. Not many men in
his profession have been through the physical tolls that Karl has been through
in the past few years and managed to remain at or near the top of their line of
work. And fewer men still have been able to reach the post-season as often as
Karl has in his career.

And that, more than anything, is what people should focus on
today. Yes, the Nuggets failed in the first round last night, and yes, it is
easy to point fingers at George Karl this morning as the culprit. But before
you do, ponder this: George Karl has reached the post-season 22 times in his
career, the most of any coach in NBA history, alongside Pat Riley and Larry
Brown. If the Nuggets retain Karl and reach the playoffs next year, George Karl
– not Red Auerbach, not Phil Jackson, not Pat Riley, not Jerry Sloan – George Karl
will have led more teams to the playoffs than any single coach in the entire
history of the NBA.

There are many things to take away from last night – missed
opportunities, missed calls, missed shots – but I, for one, will focus on how
George Karl looked as he walked off the court. Quite a bit thinner and a little
older, certainly; but not beaten.